Tuesday, December 8, 2015

December 2015 Movie Preview

After
lugging through a lackluster fall, this December will hopefully provide
movie-goers a film or two to remember. So far Ridley Scott’s The Martian has provided the only thing
close to a memorable or entertaining film experience. The rest of the landscape
has been littered with franchises lumbering toward their conclusion (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part Two),
bizarre retellings of well worn stories (Victor
Frankenstein), or overly nostalgic remembrances of Cold Wars gone past (Bridge of Spies). With all this in mind, let’s see what December
has to offer.

In the Heart of the Sea (Dec. 11): Based on the bestselling book by
Nathaniel Philbrick, In the Heart of the
Sea recounts the fate of the Essex, a
Nantucket based whaling ship. During a whaling voyage in the Pacific Ocean, the
Essex was rammed and then sunk by an
enraged whale. The crew, forced to abandon the doomed vessel, were exposed to
the ravages of the Pacific Ocean in whaling boats. Some of the sailors resorted
to cannibalism before their rescue by passing ships. The story of the Essex
became the basis for Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick.

That's a big whale.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Dec. 18): In case you hadn’t heard or
somehow missed the commercials, toys, and product integrations, there’s a new Star
Wars movie coming out next week. Every day pop culture websites drool over
every little bit of information that comes out. Look a new poster! A TV spot
with 1 second of new footage! It’s been ten years since the conclusion of
George Lucas’s underwhelming prequel trilogy. Interviews and leaked footage
provided by new director J.J. Abrams have stoked fans’ hopes that the series
has returned to its space adventure roots rather than the emotionally draining
slog of Episodes II and III.

The Hateful Eight (Dec. 25): The latest venture from Quentin
Tarantino revolves around the story of a group of bounty hunters seeking
shelter in the middle of a blizzard. In true Tarantino, i.e. hyper-violent,
fashion there will be betrayals, back-stories, and a lot of colorful language.
The film’s running time of 182 minutes suggests that in his older age,
Tarantino has given up on editing his films down to something that an audience
might actually want to sit through.

Point Break (Dec. 25): A totally unnecessary remake of
the early 1990s film starring Keanu Reeves as ex-college quarterback turned FBI
agent Johnny Utah. Instead of chasing a group of bank robbing surfers, now Utah
(played by someone else) will be tracking down a group of extreme sports
athletes, who it turns out in their spare time enjoy engaging in corporate
espionage. Pass.

Concussion (Dec. 25): This Will Smith vehicle about a doctor who helped
expose the NFL’s concussion crisis reeks of Oscar bait. Well known actor in
need of a starring role? Check. Contemporary hot button issue? Check. The
chance for a lot of moral grandstanding? Check. A good movie? We’ll see.

The Revenant (Dec. 25): Leonard DiCaprio plays Hugh Glass,
a frontiersman out for revenge against the men who left him for dead after
being mauled by a bear. There’s something undeniably awesome about that
description. Let’s hope the film can live up to that awesomeness.